Aaa University
by MoonGirl1155
Summary: In a college with vampires, frost spirits, and plenty of weird boys wearing bright colors such as pink and purple, two girls wonder if they'll ever survive. The crazy car rides, difficult courses, parties, food fights, romance, heartbreak, drama, and hospitalization might be too much to handle. (College AU)
1. Hallelujah

**WARNING: mild profanity**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

Francesca slammed her foot on the brakes and almost smashed her head through the window as the car came to a halt. A chorus of loud honking followed soon after, but she just flipped off the other drivers.

"You're a horrific driver, you know that?" Laura pointed out, rubbing her forehead, which had banged on the dashboard. Frankie rolled her eyes and pushed her foot onto the gas, speeding forward once the light turned green.

"You got us lost, too," she added. Frankie rolled her eyes.

"We're not lost; I know exactly where we are," she insisted and her best friend raised her eyebrows skeptically.

"Uh huh, _sure._ Where are we then?" Laura questioned, gripping her seat as they made a sharp right turn.

"We're almost there," she replied. Laura rested her head in her hands, sighing in exasperation.

"We're never going to make it. You're going to kill us first by running into a building and if by some miracle that _doesn't_ happen, we won't even find the campus!" she cried in distress and Frankie grit her teeth as they turned again.

"It's going to be fine, Laura, calm down. I'm not going to kill us," she answered and the other girl yelped as they went flying over a speed bump.

"You _so_ are!" she yelled, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Am not!" Frankie protested.

_"Are too!"_ she retorted and they stopped suddenly at a red light, almost snapping the seat belt.

"How on earth did you pass your driver's test? How fast are you even driving?" Laura asked, her eyes still sealed shut.

"I'm not _that_ bad of a driver and we're not going _that_ far over the speed limit," Frankie argued as they made a left turn. Soon enough a huge, modern campus came into view.

"Oh Glob, I'm never going to even make it to college," she sighed sadly and Frankie rolled her eyes again.

"You're so dramatic," she said, glancing at her friend.

"I'm realistic," Laura countered, finally opening her eyes, "there's a difference."

Her face took on an expression of alarm and she pointed to the road in front of them.

_"Look out!"_ she screamed and Frankie returned her attention to the road. A group of people were crossing the street. She slammed on the brakes and the tires smoked against the asphalt as they skidded to a stop. Frankie had shut her eyes and as she wearily opened them she wondered if they could get expelled for running someone over.

The group of people standing in the middle of the road turned out to be a pair of boys. Two extremely angry, pale skinned boys with dorky clothes and skateboards. They had managed to run out of the way before she killed them with her black '67 Impala. The two guys walked up to her window. The taller one with raven locks and narrowed, reddish-brown eyes banged on the glass. Frankie glared at him, annoyed and rolled down the window slowly.

"Anything I can help you with, boys?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes. The boy growled at her, which was the reaction she had been hoping for.

"Yeah, how about you look where you're going, _chick!_ You're going to kill someone with your crazy driving!" he said angrily, clenching his jaw.

"That's what I said," Laura piped up and the other guy behind Mr. Cranky snickered. She noticed that underneath the second boy's blue hoodie there were white strands of hair. Weird. Both of these guys were extremely odd and irking.

"Shut up, you're not helping," Frankie muttered to her friend and the albino boy chuckled again. She shot him the death glare and he silenced instantly. She refocused her attention towards the furious boy at her window.

"Okay, fine. Next time I'll make her drive and we'll move at five miles per hour," Frankie said, gesturing towards her friend in the passenger seat, who immediately began protesting.

"Fine. But I deserve an apology," the brown-eyed boy said grudgingly and Frankie raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" she inquired in a low voice, "What did you just say?"

The dark-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest, "You heard me right. I expect an apology."

Frankie scowled at him. She grit her teeth, seething with rage.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you _hot-shot_, but you're not getting squat. Later losers!" Frankie snapped and with that she sped off, waving at him as she left him in the dust. Laura was cracking up beside her.

"That, was, _awesome_!" she exclaimed and Frankie smirked.

"I know. I'm amazing, aren't I?" she teased and her best friend playfully punched her in the arm.

"Yeah yeah, you'd be amazing if you got us to the dorms alive," Laura responded, laughing, although she was entirely serious.

"We'll see."

* * *

After driving aimlessly around campus for what seemed like an eternity, they found their dorm building.

Frankie noticed that the campus was packed with tons of interesting people and had a surprisingly small amount of trees for the state of Maine. The identical buildings looked brand new and high tech. No wonder they'd gotten lost. She had no doubt that it would happen again.

She still couldn't believe that they had been accepted into Aaa University, but both of them had graduated near the top of their class and had received multiple scholarships. Even with bonus points, it was a miracle that they were standing there today.

Frankie parked crookedly in front of the brick building and Laura jumped out the second the vehicle came to a halt, ready to escape from the death trap on wheels. They both grabbed their singles suitcases and walked up the path towards the glass front doors. Flip flops clapped against the pavement and Frankie's brunette ponytail blew into her face from the strong winds. She knew that they were inaccurately dressed for warm weather, because even though it was summer the temperature wasn't scorching hot. Maine was freezing compared to Maryland. Frankie was wearing black thigh length shorts and a purple tank top. Laura was wearing summer attire as well, except she was clad in blue.

As they approached the sliding glass doors, they spotted a tall man wearing tan khakis and a magenta Pink Floyd t-shirt. Frankie stared at his bright pink hair that was slicked back and wondered if he was gay. He smiled warmly at both of them with his dark eyes and Frankie glared at him. She didn't want to put up with anymore annoying guys today.

"Hello girls! You must by Frankie and Laura!" he said politely, excitement evident in his voice. Frankie narrowed her eyes.

"How do you know who we are?" she questioned suspiciously. He just smiled and laughed.

"Right, sorry. I'm Gumball, your RA, or Residence Advisor," he explained kindly, winking at Laura. She giggled. Gumball was flirting with Laura so… not gay, just obsessed with pink.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Frankie said, rolling her eyes, "Are you here to show us our dorms?"

Gumball nodded, "Yes! Here, I'll take your bags." He grabbed for her suitcase, but she yanked it out of his reach.

"I can handle it, thanks," she growled. She didn't need help from any man. He just shrugged and took Laura's bag, which she gladly handed to him.

"Okay, suit yourself. But beware, this building doesn't have an elevator," he said, turning on the heel of his pink sneaker and leading them inside. The walls were painted aquamarine and the lobby was empty. She assumed that everyone else was already inside of their rooms, since they were late, probably the last freshmen to arrive. The three of them trekked up five flights of stairs, but she made sure to stay ahead of them to prove her point that she didn't need assistance. Laura and Gumball were chatting away the entire time, which made her nauseous.

Finally they reached their dorm room, #341 B and Gumball gave each of them a key before he winked at Laura again and walked away. Frankie dropped her suitcase and fumbled with the lock.

"Do you really like that guy?" she asked her friend skeptically. He seemed like an over-flirtatious creep.

"Nope, I just didn't want to carry my suitcase up five flights of stairs," Laura replied, making the both of them laugh as they entered their new home.

Frankie observed their surroundings with wide eyes. There was a wall in the center of the room, which mostly divided the two separate halves. The right side of the room clearly belonged to her.

The purple walls were plastered with posters of her favorite bands and there was a lime green fuzzy rug in the center of the dark-wood floor. A skinny bed with violet sheets rested in the corner, underneath a window covered in fluorescent green curtains. Against the divider wall there was a small desk and a black dresser. She smiled upon seeing her side of the room, it looked just like home.

Laura squealed with excitement, "Oh my glob this is so exciting! Look at this! Our room is _awesome!"_ she laughed and jumped onto her bed, which was blue, just like everything on her side of the room. The dorm was practically symmetrical, besides the color changes and that Laura had a huge bookshelf and a larger desk. Her friend was a total nerd.

Frankie nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, this is wicked great."

"I love it! All of my stuff is blue!" Laura yelled and Frankie laughed.

"All of your stuff is always blue," she pointed out, but her best friend was too happy to argue with her on the subject.

They both spent only an hour unpacking, they hadn't brought much stuff with them. Laura brought her laptop and Frankie brought her bright red guitar. She was majoring in forensic anthropology and minoring in music. Music was her life, her escape. She spent almost all of her time listening to bands like Daft Punk, Killswitch Engage, One Republic and Lifehouse. Music was everything to her.

After unpacking, Laura began studying for her English class, which sounded boring to Frankie. Instead of studying, he plugged in her headphones and blasted Peggy Lee in both of her ears, casually strumming her guitar as she rested on the bed. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the sound and forgot the world.

* * *

"That gay guy was _so_ annoying," Marshall groaned, annoyed, as he lounged on his black leather couch in their dorm room. Their RA had talked his ear off the entire walk up to the top floor of the dorm building. Jack stuck his head over the side of the wall and rolled his bright blue eyes.

"He wasn't gay, Marsh," he said. Marshall scoffed.

"He was staring at your butt the entire time," he pointed out.

"That's because I'm _sexy,"_ Jack replied, causing Marshall to throw a pillow at his face.

"You _wish,"_ Marshall grumbled while his best friend laughed. He smirked at the dark haired boy teasingly.

"What's the matter, Marshmallow? Jealous of my good looks? Or are you just hungry?" Jack questioned, a grin on his face. Marshall just scowled at him, narrowing his eyes.

"I think it's a little bit of both," Jack commented.

"Shut up," Marshall hissed, earning more laughter from his best friend.

"Definitely both," he decided and Marshall groaned, climbing off of the couch and leaving the room, slamming the door to leave his friend laughing in hysterics.

Marshall was irritated. The RA was annoying and earlier he had been told off by some chick. He didn't want to go to college. Again. Aaa University was their fifth school. School was boring. Plus, he was, in fact, starving, which didn't help his mood.

He trudged down the turquoise colored hallway, passing a dozen doors, until he reached the vending machine. He bought a Red Bull, or maybe five and several packs of Twizzlers. He couldn't wait until he got back to the dorm to eat, but he couldn't risk anyone seeing him. He looked down both sides of the hallway and unfortunately, someone was walking his way.

Marshall heard a familiar old song being played on the girl's headphones as she came up beside him, gazing down at her phone so she didn't even notice him. She was completely oblivious to the rest of the world. His eyes widened when he realized that this was the same girl from before, the one who had almost ran him over. He had been pretty ticked off from that incident, but Jack had thought it was hilarious. His best friend thought everything was hilarious. Marshall glared at the girl and finally she looked up, realizing he was there. She narrowed her hazel eyes at him in irritated recognition.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she spat, clearly annoyed with his presence. He mirrored her irked aura, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied coolly and she pulled her headphones down from her head.

"Don't tell me you live on this floor," she asked slowly and he raised his eyebrows.

She groaned. "Great, you do, don't you?"

Marshall felt his anger boil. "Hey, I don't want to live on the same floor as a maniac like you, either."

"Whatever. Just leave me alone," she rolled her eyes, readjusting her headphones and blasting her music again as she inserted a few dollar bills into the machine. Marshall was about to turn and leave when he recognized the song that was playing. His eyes widened and he ripped her headphones off.

_"Hey!"_ she yelled, but he disregarded her indignant shout.

"Is that Peggy Lee?" he asked and she stopped yelling, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"...Yeah. Why?" she inquired slowly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I like her. She's awesome. I've just never heard anyone else listen to her music before," Marshall answered, shrugging. The brown-haired girl's face softened slightly and she pulled her bag of chips out of the machine.

"Yeah, no one listens to my music. I'm not mainstream," she replied and glanced at him strangely. "What's your name, freak?"

He ignored the name calling and answered, "My name is Marshall Lee."

"I'm Frankie. See? Not mainstream," she said and then spun around, her ponytail whipping behind her as she headed back down the hall. Marshall stood there for a moment. He felt thoroughly annoyed, yet a little… intrigued.

He shook his head and dug into his bag of Twizzlers, sucking the red from the candy, forgetting all about the weird girl named Frankie who liked good music.

For the time being, anyways.

* * *

That night, while Laura was slumped over her Literature textbook, Frankie laid wide awake on her bed and gazed up at the ceiling. She had already gone through her sleeping playlist three times, but she didn't feel the slightest bit drowsy. She sighed and pulled off her headphones, hearing only the sound of her roommate snoring. She turned her head to the side and glanced at the clock, which read one o'clock in the morning. She frowned. Even though it was Saturday night and school didn't start until Monday, she needed to get her sleep while she still could.

Frankie groaned at the thought of school; she wasn't excited for classes at all. The subject was interesting-forensic anthropology was epic-but she didn't want to deal with mountains of homework and endless studying. She would rather spend her time jamming out on her guitar. Her eyes lit up as a thought formulated in her mind and she glanced at her guitar for an indecisive second. She grabbed her instrument and quietly opened her window, careful not to wake her sleeping friend, and slipped outside into the warm summer night.

Frankie climbed onto the fire escape, swinging her bare legs over the side, looking down to the ground far below. She gulped-five stories was pretty high-but she didn't go back inside. Instead, she strummed her guitar softly, the light breeze carrying the sound through the air. She closed her eyes, sighing peacefully and began to play the notes of _Hallelujah_. Frankie swayed side to side and the wind ruffled her hair. She started humming the lyrics and soon she was singing.

_I heard there was a secret chord,_

_That David played,_

_And it pleased The Lord,_

_But you don't really care for music, do you?_

_It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth,_

_The minor fall, the major lift,_

_And the baffled king composing hallelujah._

_Hallelujah,_

_Hallelujah,_

_Hallelujah..._

She lost herself in song, her voice gradually raising in volume with each verse. She closed her eyes, merging into the music, unaware that she had a secret audience.

* * *

Marshall hadn't felt like sleeping, he barely ever did, so he decided to leave Jack to his paper-snowflake construction and climb onto the roof. The blackness of night was soothing and he gazed out over the campus, watching the twinkles of golden light. Many people were probably dancing and drinking at parties, of which he hadn't attended in years. Jack had banned him from them because he always caused trouble. He didn't want them getting their cover blown before the year was over.

Marshall sighed, remembering the days when he friend used to have fun and enjoy himself. Those were the good old days. Until...

Marshall's ears perked up and he turned his head sharply. He wasn't alone. He could hear the sound of a guitar playing and… singing. A lovely voice, feminine. He decided to check it out. He floated over the rooftop towards the music and peeked his head over the side.

The girl that he had met previously that day-what was her name again, Freda? No, Frankie. Yeah, Frankie-was sitting on the fire escape, playing a song on her bright red guitar.

_Well your faith was strong, but you needed proof,_

_You saw her bathing on the roof,_

_Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you..._

Marshall smiled; he loved that song. His favorite version was the original, released decades ago, although most people preferred covers by popular artists these days. He noticed that Frankie's chocolate brown locks reflected the golden light from the surrounding buildings. Her eyes were closed, an expression of peace resting on her face. She looked a lot nicer now compared to the multiple scowls she had given him throughout the day.

_And I've seen your flag on the marble arch,_

_But love is not a victory march,_

_It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah..._

Frankie's voice rose to a loud, powerful volume as she sang with strong emotion and he nodded in admiration. She could sing very well, and he knew a thing or two about music.

_Hallelujah,_

_Hallelujah,_

_Hallelujah..._

Her voice gradually decreased and grew to a soft exhale of breath until the song was over. Marshall sighed loudly, disappointed that her performance had come to an end. She jumped into the air at the sound of his sigh and she spun around quickly, a little too quickly. Marshall leaped down onto the metal grating and grasped her arm before she could tumble backwards to the cement below.

"_Whoa_, sorry, I didn't mean to startle-"

"What the _hell_ are you _doing_?_"_ Frankie screamed at him, her features contorting with rage. He continued to hold onto her arm. She was still angry and would fall over the side if she didn't calm down.

"I was just _listening_,_"_ he defended, yet her fury seemed to grow. She tried to pull her arm away but he wouldn't let go.

"You were _spying_ on me! You _freak!_ I told you to _leave me alone!_ Let go of me!" she shouted and kicked him roughly in the shin. He released her, but before she could fall over she moved over so her back was facing the wall. She gripped her guitar in both hands, threatening to knock him over the edge with the instrument.

"I wasn't spying! I was on the roof and I heard singing, so I decided to check it out!" he protested and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, _sure._ Because you just chill out on the roof in the middle of the night," Frankie said sarcastically.

"Isn't that what _you_ were doing?" Marshall pointed out.

"That's not the point," she snapped.

"_Anyways_..." he wasn't too concerned with falling, but his cover would be blown and Jack would be pissed at him, "I just wanted to see who was singing. I wasn't spying. I heard good music, I decided to listen. You're very good."

Frankie's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, "Flattering me won't help you get out of this, _Marshmallow."_

"I wasn't lying. You're really good," he insisted. He was being genuine. She could sing better than almost everyone. She gazed at him with a strange look before shaking her head, turning away.

"Just, _go._ Get out of my sight," she growled, pointing in the direction of the fire escape stairwell, "But if you ever do that again, I'll call the cops on you and kick you where the sun doesn't shine and I promise you boy, you won't be able to walk again."

Marshall gulped-he believed her-and smiled thankfully. "Okay, thanks."

"_Go_!" she yelled and he bounded up the stairs and into the night.

* * *

"Back so soon?" Jack asked as soon as he flew through the window. The white haired boy was lounging lazily on his navy blue rug in the center of the floor, gazing absently up at the ceiling. He was surrounded by mountains of paper snowflakes, a layer of paper scraps covering the floor. The guy had an obsession. One of the first things he did whenever they went somewhere new was cover the ceiling in newly cut snowflakes.

Marshall sighed.

"Yeah," he said and then asked, "Hey, do you remember the chick that almost ran us over today?"

"Yeah. That was pretty funny," Jack replied, smirking. Marshall glared at him, but continued anyways.

"Yeah. Well, she lives on this floor and when I was on the roof I heard her singing-" Marshall said, only to be interrupted by his best friend who finally lifted his head up from the floor.

"Whoa, _hold up._ How do you know where she _lives?"_ Jack inquired and then wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "What were you guys doing on the room, huh, Marshy?"

Marshall growled and lunged at him, tackling his best friend to the ground. He shoved his face into the shaggy carpet until he was half-laughing, half-pleading for him to let go. Marshall sighed and got off of him.

"Sheesh, touchy..." Jack muttered and then smirked up at him, "So… does that mean you have a crush?"

Marshall raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"What? _No!_ She almost threw me _off the roof!_ Which is what I was trying to tell you until your perverted mind landed in the gutter!" Marshall answered. He didn't know where his friend had gotten that idea. He would never like Frankie and if they ever crossed paths again, she would probably try to kill him. Jack just chuckled.

"That's what I thought," he said and returned to the tedious, time consuming process of making dozens of paper snowflakes.

Marshall scowled at him and went to bed, listening to Hallelujah as he fell asleep.

* * *

_Edited: December 13th, 2015_


	2. Strawberry Pancakes

**WARNING:** _mild profanity_

* * *

**CHAPTER 2:**

The next day, she woke up so late that she almost didn't make it to breakfast. Laura had to drag her out of bed, and with drooping eyes, she and her best friend stumbled into the dining hall. Thankfully, the hall was just across the street from their dorm building, because she wasn't willing to walk far when she felt this exhausted.

"Why'd you stay up so late?" Laura asked as she grabbed an egg sandwich, and Franky shrugged, yawning, as she piled her plate with strawberry pancakes.

"I just couldn't sleep, that's all," she replied, earning a meaningful look from her roommate, which she ignored. They gazed around the room, most of the tables were empty, and only a few dozen people remained in the hall. That meant that luckily, there were open seats. They wandered over to a table in the corner and ate their breakfast. Franky stuffed her face with pancakes and maple syrup, while her best friend laughed at her.

"What? I'm hungry," she snapped, mouth still full. Laura laughed harder.

"You should see yourself. You look hilarious," she giggled, and Franky rolled her eyes, returning to eating her delicious pancakes.

Laura frowned down at her egg sandwich.

"Screw this. Being healthy is stupid, anyways," she grumbled.

"Actually," they both looked up as a familiar voice spoke, "It's a very intelligent idea. Eating nutritiously helps one benefit in all corners of the health triangle."

Franky glared up at Bubblegum, who was standing next to their table with a smile on his face. Today he was wearing nerdy glasses and a pink t-shirt that was too tight, along with red pants and magenta sneakers. She raised her eyebrow at him quizzically, that boy really did have an odd sense of style. Laura stared at him, dumbstruck.

"Uh, yeah. You're totally right. Eating healthy is great. I was just saying that...yeah. You get the point," she said, and Bubblegum pointed to the seat beside her.

"Can I sit there?" he requested, and Franky narrowed her eyes at him.

"No," she replied immediately, at exactly the same time that Laura said, "Sure."

"Great!" Bubblegum beamed and sat down beside her, sipping a pink smoothie. Franky glared at him like an angry dog, taking a huge bite of her pancake and chewing it harshly. She didn't like this guy, he was sitting too close to her best friend for her liking. Franky always thought of herself as the older sister, even though they weren't blood related and were the same age. She didn't trust men and didn't want her friend to be taken advantage of.

"So, Laura, what are you majoring in?" Bubblegum asked politely.

"None of your business!" Franky snapped, and Bubblegum looked taken aback. Good. Maybe she could scare him off. Laura gave her a stern look, like, "_Be nice_!"

"I'm majoring in English, minoring in Criminology," she answered, and Bubblegum nodded.

"I'm Majoring in Forensic science, minoring in biology," he said, and then smiled at Franky, "What's your major?"

Franky was stone-faced, her expression of extreme irritation was clearly painted on her features, "Once again, none of your business."

Laura looked appalled, but Bubba just continued to grin, unaffected by her rudeness. Which just irked her more.

"She's majoring in Forensic anthropology, minoring in music. Maybe you'll have a class together?" Laura suggested, and Franky made a puking face. Bubblegum smiled widely.

"That would be great! It would be a privilege to work with you, Ms. Lashway," he said sincerely, and she scowled at him.

"Yeah...that's nice, Bubble boy," she grumbled, and Laura sat there awkwardly for a moment as a silence washed over the table. Finally, the girl sighed.

"I'm gonna go get some pancakes," Laura stated and stood up, and Bubblegum offered to go with her. She shook her head.

"No thanks, you can stay here and bond with Franky," Laura answered, giving her best friend a wink, and Franky gave her the death glare as she crossed the room towards the lunch line. Once she was gone, she focused her anger on the pink-haired freak sitting across from her. His thin lips stretched as he continued to grin.

"Stop smiling, will you? It's annoying," she spat, and he lessened his smile a little.

"Sorry Ms. Lashway, I didn't mean to irritate you," he apologized politely, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," Franky muttered, and continued to eat her pancakes in the silence that hovered over them. She really didn't like this guy. Guys weren't actually this nice. He had to be fake.

"Your friend is very nice," Bubblegum said suddenly, interrupting her angry thoughts about the trustworthiness of the male gender. She lifted her head up at him, ready to stab his dark eyes out with her fork.

"Don't even go there, princess," she growled. He smirked.

"I'm just telling the truth. She's very good at making friends," he commented, and before she could reply he glanced over towards the lunch line. Franky followed his eyes and saw Laura talking to some guy in a blue hoodie with white hair. White hair? Did every guy in this university dye their hair unnatural colors? Her eyes widened in recognition. She remembered that guy from the previous day, he had been with Marshall Lee. The stalker guy.

"Bubble boy, you're our RA, right?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, I am indeed, Ms. Las-"

"Save it!" she said, cutting him off, "Who is that boy?"

Bubblegum smiled a strange smile, one that she particularly despised.

"Why, that's Mr. Frost. He's quite nice too, I believe. No wonder he's getting along with Laura. He's much nicer than his roommate, Marshall Lee," Bubblegum said, and Franky stood up suddenly.

"I'll be back," she said, and Bubblegum just smiled.

"Sure thing, sweetie."

* * *

Laura laughed silently to herself as she left Franky alone with Bubba, knowing that her friend would hate being alone with him. Personally, she didn't see what was wrong with him. He seemed nice enough to her. She stood in the line for the pancakes, which was composed of nearly everyone in the room. She tapped her foot impatiently, she was starving, and those pancakes smelled so good...

"They taste just as amazing as they smell, trust me," a voice spoke from behind her and she spun around, nearly knocking into the person standing there. It was a guy, a few inches taller than her, with pale skin and bright blue eyes. He had white hair, which was..._unique_, and he was wearing a navy blue hoodie, jeans, and awkward blue sneakers. She did happen to like his outfit, since blue was her favorite color. She was seriously obsessed with it, everything she owned was blue. She smiled nervously at him, and for a moment she wondered if he had been able to hear her thoughts. Or maybe she was just mumbling again.

"...do they really?" she asked, confused about why she felt anxious. She was normally really cool around boys. In her opinion, anyways. He mirrored her smile.

"Yeah, they're great. My roommate eats them every day. Although, he eats anything that has strawberries in them," he said, and she laughed lightly.

"Yeah...Franky says they taste really good. She might end up eating them every day too..." Laura replied, and glanced over towards where her best friend was sitting with Bubba. She looked pretty peeved. The blue-eyed boy turned and looked at her friend as well, and a confused expression crossed his face.

"That's funny, I thought he was gay..." he muttered, and her eyes widened.

"_What_?!" Laura finally realized that he was talking about Bubba, but she wasn't any less shocked, "He's _not_ gay."

"Yes he is!" he argued, and she shook her head.

"He was flirting with me yesterday!" Laura protested.

"He was flirting with _me_ yesterday!" he insisted, and they both just looked at each other for a second before they both burst into fits of laughter. She clutched her stomach and tears came to her eyes, and they both laughed hysterically until they had received weird looks from everyone in the room. Which she considered an accomplishment. She wiped her eyes and saw that Franky had somehow appeared next to them.

"Oh hey, roomie," she said, still smiling, but Franky didn't appear amused. She glared at the guy in the blue hoodie.

"You're Marshall Lee's roommate, right?" she asked sharply, and he nodded, seeming unaffected by her threatening atmosphere.

"Yeah, we're cool," he answered, "You're the chick who almost ran us over, right?"

Laura's eyes widened in realization and she gasped, looking at him incredulously.

"That was _you_? I remember you now!" she exclaimed, and he smiled, revealing a set of teeth that sparkled like freshly fallen snow.

"Yeah, I remember you, too," he said quietly, and her face heated up as Franky coughed harshly, interrupting their conversation.

"_Anyways_," she scowled at the blue-eyed boy, "You can tell him not to spy on me anymore, alright?"

"Someone's been spying?"

Laura watched as Bubba came up behind Franky and she rolled her chocolate-brown eyes in annoyance.

"None of your business, bubble boy!" she yelled, frustrated.

"Actually, it is my business, since I'm your RA. If Mr. Lee has been spying on young ladies, he needs to save that for his stash. Mr. Frost, would you so kindly remind him of that?" Bubba said sweetly, and smiled warmly at him while his entire body stiffened uncomfortably. Laura covered her mouth, giggling slightly. He shot her a glare.

"Sure. But I'm not 'Mr. Frost', my name's Jack," he answered, and Bubba nodded.

"And I'm just Laura," she added.

"I'm Franky, and if you ever call me sweetie again I will rip that smile right off your face," Franky said, and she wasn't lying.

"Right, sorry," Bubba apologized, and Laura stifled her giggles again as he smiled brightly, his gaze directed towards Jack, who looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else.

Suddenly a dark-haired guy appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder, making him jump. The guy laughed and smirked, winking at Franky, who looked as if she wanted to strangle him. Laura couldn't remember from yesterday exactly, but she guessed that he was Marshall Lee.

"Sorry to interrupt fellas, but I just came to inform sweet cakes over here that my buddy isn't interested. Got it?" Marshall said simply, chewing on a Twizzler. Jack's face turned bright red.

Bubba blinked, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Lee."

"_Hey_!" the chef behind the counter yelled at them, "Are any of you going to order or not?"

And with that Laura couldn't contain her laugher anymore, and soon everyone was cracking up, every except Bubba, who was just downright confused, which everyone laugh even harder.

* * *

"These pancakes are amazing!" Laura exclaimed, her mouth full of strawberries and syrup, and Franky nodded at her.

"I told you so!" her best friend replied, her face once again stuffed with delicious pancakes. Marshall slinked into the seat next to Franky, and she shoved him away. He chuckled lightly, leaning in closer.

"Why so mean, princess? You don't wanna share your breakfast with me?" he smirked, "I only want a bite..." he whispered seductively. She promptly smacked him hard across the face.

"Ow! My cheek meat!" he cried out, rubbing the red hand print on his cheek and recoiling to the far side of the bench, moving as far away from her as possible with still sitting on the same side as her.

"Don't mess with me, boy," Franky growled, and downed a smoothie.

Laura smiled, she admired her friend for sticking up for herself and not taking crap from boys. It was a trait that she wished she herself possessed.

She was brought out of her thoughts when Jack's shoulder brushed against hers. He was scooting closer to her, and she realized it was in an attempt to get away from Bubba. There was barely any room for all three of them on the bench, and soon enough Jack was pressed tightly against her. The poor boy was sandwiched between her and Bubba, and she would've laughed if she didn't feel so bad for him.

Marshall and Jack appeared to be having some kind of silent eye conversation, one where Jack was mentally screaming and Marshall was laughing hysterically. All without a hint of sound. Laura sat there awkwardly chewing her pancakes, catching snippets of Bubba's attempts to spark a conversation with Franky. He was failing miserably.

"So, Miss Lashway-"

"It's Franky," she interrupted, pointing her fork at him threateningly.

"Right, sorry, my deepest apologies. Anyways, I was interested in how you are planning on paying for your tuition...?" Bubba inquired. It was an interesting question, but maybe he didn't know what else to talk about besides college-related things.

"None of your business," she retorted, but he ignored that.

"Scholarships, grants, loans...?"

"Why are you so interested in my money!?" Franky hissed, and Bubba simply shrugged.

"I was just asking," he replied, and then turned his body so he was facing Jack, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "What about you?"

"Um...uh...Marshall's parents are paying for me..." Jack mumbled, looking away from the pink-haired teen, who was gazing at him intensely. Bubba raised his eyebrows and then glanced at Marshall.

"Your family is capable of paying for two college tuitions?" he questioned incredulously, and Marshall narrowed his reddish-brown eyes briefly before his face took on an indifferent expression. Marshall shrugged his shoulders.

"My parents are loaded. We come from a line of royalty," he explained, and Franky snorted in disbelief. Laura had the same reaction. He was probably making it up. Bubba simply nodded his head in acceptance. Marshall smirked at Franky, "Surprised?"

"Yes. You don't have enough manners to be royalty," Laura interrupted before Franky could tear him to pieces. There was so much tension between the two for unknown reasons, but she could see that Marshall was trying to get to her. Jack snickered besides her, and she smiled at him. He mirrored her smile and shifted in his seat so he was facing her, and Bubba was out of his line of vision.

"So, how are you paying for college? Just thought I'd ask, since we're on the topic. Are you secretly a princess like Marsh?" he asked, and she felt her cheeks flush slightly. He sounded so flirtatious for some reason...it was probably because he was trying to get Bubba to understand that he wasn't into guys.

"I'm not a princess!" Marshall snapped, and then got into a heated debate with Franky about how he could never be a princess because he wasn't strong enough to be female. Franky tended to lash out on anyone who even had a hint of sexist in them. Marshall was drowning in it.

"I'm um, actually riding on a scholarship...and a bunch of student loans...just like Franky. We were both valedictorian at our High School," Laura explained to him once she realized that he was still looking at her expectantly.

"You didn't need to tell them all out secrets!" Franky yelled, and Marshall chuckled.

"You can tell me all the secrets you want, baby," he whispered, earning another slap across the face. Bubba laughed hard at his pain.

"I like smart girls," Jack smiled, his dark blue eyes twinkling, and she tried really hard not to blush.

"Stop flirting," Franky growled, pausing her argument with Marshall to snap at him. Jack didn't avert his eyes from her face, and she really wished that he would. All this attention was unsettling, even though it was only for show.

"Sorry, I just have a habit of being charming around pretty girls," Jack replied, and reached out and caressed the side of her face. His hands were cold. She shivered and leaned away from his touch. Laura looked behind him and saw Bubba shifting uncomfortably in his seat, disappointment radiating from him. That was probably the desired effect from Jack's blatant flirting.

Suddenly Bubba dismissed himself, stood up, and left. They all watched him cross the room and start talking to another random group of people. Jack smirked in satisfaction and Laura frowned, promptly pushing him away.

"Did you _really_ have to do that?" she frowned, and he shrugged.

"He was freaking me out," Jack answered simply, and Laura rolled her eyes.

"You couldn't have just told him that you didn't like guys," she replied curtly, a little annoyed at his obnoxious flirting with her. She took that stuff seriously and didn't like it when people messed with her for no reason.

"He did," Marshall laughed, and soon both of the boys were laughing. Laura glanced and Franky who wore a grim expression. Without speaking, they both stood up in unison and left the Dining Hall without looking back.

If they had, they would've seen Marshall watching Franky exit with a frown on his face.

* * *

Franky and Laura returned to their rooms quickly, and Laura was soon lost in studying. Franky couldn't tell if she was upset about the Frost boy fake flirting with her or not, but mostly she just seemed annoyed. She was irritated as well, beyond irritated with Marshall Lee. That guy seemed to be everywhere. In the parking lot, in the hallway, at the Dining Hall, even on the roof! She couldn't get rid of him. She sighed; she had hoped that once they got to college they would both be done with stupid boys.

But apparently that wasn't the case. Men just had to ruin everything. She glared at the stack of textbooks on her desks and groaned, she had better start studying now to get a head start for the first day of school. They only had one day until classes started.

Franky moaned and stuck her nose in a book.

* * *

"That's it, I can't _take it_ anymore!" Franky exclaimed, throwing her textbook to the floor in frustration. Laura lifted her head, raising her eyebrows at the outburst.

"I'm _done_! Seven hours of studying...I can't do this! I'm taking a break!" she cried, glancing at the clock. It was six o'clock, and she was starving. The pancakes from earlier had been fabulous, but they couldn't fuel her forever. She stood up from her chair and marched over towards her roommate, pulling her from her seat.

"Come on, we're getting out of here!" Franky decided, and before her best friend could protest she dragged her out of the room and down the hall.

* * *

Franky had bought both of them hotdogs outside in the pavilion, where a bunch of frat boys were selling them to make a few extra bucks. It was nice to be outside in the summer sunshine, where there was fresh air and flowers. Everything was much nicer out here than in their stuffy dorm room. They sat on a bench chowing down when Franky went to buy soda, and when she returned a short, fat guy was talking to Laura.

Of course. More guys. _Great._

"And Brady was like, that's so ratchet, and Melissa said it was totally legit, so yeah," the guy was clearly an upperclassman from his dark facial hair. His voice was highly annoying and sounded weirdly sophisticated, despite his girly slang. He sounded like he was texting instead of talking. Franky sighed and interrupted his conversation with her roommate.

"Who are you and what do you want with my roommate?" Franky said swiftly, wanting to get rid of him. He put his hands on his hips, full of sass, and shot her a look.

"_Rude_," he said, drawing out the last letter, and then refocused on Laura, "Sorry sister, this chick doesn't know how to be polite."

Laura withheld her laughter, "Yeah, that's my roommate."

The guy, who was wearing a dark purple sparkly shirt that barely covered his stomach, raised his dyed-purple eyebrows.

"Dude, seriously, that's your roomie? _Lame_!" he exclaimed with a dramatic hair flip. His bleach blonde hair was greased to the left, leaving the right side of his head bald and the left side of his face curtained. She could see a star tattoo on his forehead. Franky glared at him.

"You're lame, hippie! Have you ever heard of a diet?" Franky snapped, and the guy looked so taken aback that he nearly fainted.

"_Oh no you didn't_! Did you just make fun of my lumps? Bitch!" he yelled, and Franky raised her eyebrows. This guy was a total drama queen, who was not worth her time. The purple clad guy huffed and turned to Laura, giving her a napkin with his number on it.

"I'll see you tonight. Just don't bring her. Call me babe!" he blew her a kiss and then stalked off, joining a group of other short kids wearing clothes that didn't fit their round bodies.

Franky just raised her eyebrows in disbelief, "Who was that guy? The Queen of Sheba?"

"He said his name was LSP, and that it stands for Lumpy Space Prince. He's a frat boy, he's supposed to be the leader of a radical revolution. He's a gamer who purposely tries to show off his obesity to destroy the image of perfect beauty. It's pretty radical sounding, actually," Laura explained, her voice revealing how impressed she was. Franky was confused.

"He's in a frat full of fat gamers who want to be fat?" she asked, and Laura laughed.

"Basically. And he invited me to a party tonight, since I have wide thighs. He thought they were cool, but it was kinda insulting. Are my thighs really that big?" Laura asked, frowning, and Franky laughed.

"No. You're beautiful and fit, unlike that lazy guy who wants an excuse not to exercise," Franky assured her best friend, making both of the girls smile, "So...are you going to that party?"

"What? No! I have to study! Of course I'm not going!" Laura said surely, as if doing anything besides studying was ridiculous. Franky have her a mischievous smirk.

"We're going then," she said.

"Are you crazy? No! We need to study!" Laura protested.

"There is no way I am going to study for another second! We are going to this party and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" Franky exclaimed. Laura sighed, defeated.

"I'm going to regret this."

* * *

"Come on Jack, it'll be fun! And I know how much you love fun!" Marshall insisted, combing his dark raven locks. His best friend glared at him dangerously.

"Marsh, it won't be fun when you blow our cover! You're just going to get drunk and ruin everything! Like you always do! We're not going to that party!" Jack exclaimed, and Marshall rolled his eyes at his friend's stubbornness. Even though it was true that their cover had only been blown when he was drinking, that didn't mean that parties were bad places for him to be. He was perfectly capable of controlling himself, and he wasn't planning on being intoxicated tonight.

"Glob Jack, you sound like my Mom. Chill out," Marshall smirked, putting on his Vanilla Death cologne. He was going to be a total chick magnet tonight.

"I'm not going to watch you mess around and screw everything up again," Jack grumbled, narrowing his dark blue eyes.

"If you don't come with me, you won't be able to stop me," Marshall pointed out, and his roommate groaned. He smirked, knowing that he had won this battle.

Finally, he was going to have some fun.

* * *

They both marched up the sidewalk towards the huge mansion, the walls shaking with the power of the loud music from inside. Colored lights were streaming through the windows, and building was as wild as a living creature. Franky's black combat boots clicked against the pavement and she didn't feel intimidated by the largeness of the party that they were about to go into.

Laura had done research on LSP's fraternity before they went to the party, and they discovered that every year, the Lumpy Space Mansion threw the biggest back to school party on campus right before opening day. Everyone was going to be there.

Franky had almost backed out after learning that, but she had wanted to get out of her dorm so badly that she just decided to suck it up and deal with it. It was just a party, nothing could go wrong, right?

Besides, she felt strong and beautiful. She was wearing a bright red dress that wasn't too short but managed to show off her curves, and it wasn't too revealing. She looked deadly with her red lipstick and flowing dark hair, and her combat boots were the final touch of badassness. Laura wasn't as dangerous looking, she was more rocking a nerdy-hot look. She was wearing a navy blue, pencil thin dress and brown flats. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, and her thin, wire framed glasses rested on her nose. She looked really pretty too. Franky just hoped that her friend wouldn't get surrounded like boys again. That seemed to happen even when she wasn't dressed up. Franky knew she would probably be the same way if she wasn't so rude.

They opened the door and the air was instantly filled with the throbbing beat of rock music and the smell of sweat and alcohol. Throngs of people were dancing, drinking, making out and acting crazy. Franky frowned. This didn't look like it would end well. As long as they didn't have any drinks, they should be fine.

Franky took a deep breath and charged into the party head first, pushing terrible memories into the back of her mind.

Little did she know, this night would be more life changing than she could ever imagine.

* * *

**Edited: **_November 26th, 2014_


	3. Dancing with Death

**WARNING:**_mild profanity, underage drinking, mild sensual references, and mildly graphic description of death. _

* * *

**CHAPTER 3:**

Jack didn't like parties. No, he hated them.

The entire frat house shook from the power of the pulsing stereo beat and stomping feet of dancers. The stench of alcohol and sweat burned his nostrils, and he wished that he was anywhere else.

Marshall, however, seemed to be having a wonderful time. He was already surrounded by swooning girls, but thankfully he didn't make any moves on them. Years earlier, he probably would be making out with some of them. The fact that his lips weren't locked with some girl's was a sign that he was progressing towards a positive change.

But still...he wasn't anywhere near that yet.

Someone offered Marshall a drink and that was when Jack finally stepped in. His friend could act out of control when he was drunk, and he wasn't going to risk having their cover blown just for some beer. He snatched the plastic cup out of Marshall's hand and gave him a stern look. His roommate simply shrugged but nodded his head reluctantly in understanding. No words needed to be spoken to comprehend his threat.

An older woman, clearly in her last year of college, came over and the other girls fled. She was wearing a skimpy blue dress that revealed too much skin, and her face was plastered in makeup. She looked like a Barbie doll gone wrong. Her long hair was dyed white, which was odd. Jack didn't know anyone else besides himself who had white hair. She smirked and walked up to Marshall.

"Hey babe," she purred, and Marshall smirked. Jack rolled his eyes in disgust and marched away. Didn't his friend have standards? That woman was obviously slutty and disgusting. He found himself walking towards the corner, hiding in the shadows to avoid any contact with people. Some of the girls were giving him lustful glances and he scowled at them. He didn't want to hook up with anyone. He, unlike Marshall, had standards.

Jack leaned against the wall, feeling miserable and wishing that he hadn't come, when he saw a familiar face coming towards him in the crowd. His insides twisted with dread and he frowned. It was Gumball.

_Great_.

The man was wearing tight pink and red clothing, and he beamed brightly at Jack, clearly happy to see him here.

"Well hello, Mr. Frost, fancy seeing you here," Bubba greeted warmly with that same ecstatic smile. Jack found himself involuntarily inching away.

"It's Jack," he stated, annoyed with his presence. He was going to murder Marshall for bringing him to this stupid party just so he could make out with chicks.

"Right, sorry, my apologizes," Bubba said and then leaned against the wall next to him. He felt extremely uncomfortable and wished that Bubba would just go away. He wished that Marshall was here so he could tell him off, because he didn't have the guts to do it himself.

"You aren't a party person, are you?" Bubba questioned after a few moments of awkward silence. He was still gazing at him with those black orbs of his. Jack swallowed and shook his head. Bubba chuckled and the sound made him cringe.

"That's what I thought," Bubba laughed, and then took a sip from his plastic cup. Jack frowned and stared down at his sneakers. He hated parties, he hated people, he hated beer and he hated shoes and he hated everything.

Bubba started talking to him again and he just tuned it out. This night couldn't get any worse.

* * *

Laura felt like she stuck out like a sour thumb in her nerdy dress, she didn't look like a 'hipster' and wasn't dressed as loosely as the other women in the room. They were some of the few people who weren't dressed like whores. It was a little disappointing. She had expected more out of the female population on campus.

Everyone was drunk and dancing and she realized that she was out of her element. She would rather be in her dorm studying then out here in the open. She wasn't much of a people person.

Franky wasn't a social butterfly either, but she didn't appear out of place in the party. She was bold and confident and gorgeous, and a bunch of guys stopped to look her over. Laura shot them threatening glares, even though it wasn't necessary. Franky quickly pushed away any guy who got too close for comfort.

Someone was offering her beer and she frowned as she declined, she was wishing that they hadn't come.

"Laurie! Babe!" a voice called out and LSP appeared from the crowd. He was dressed in bling and his clothes actually fit this time, and he seemed to be enjoying himself a bit. A sandwich was in his right hand. She was happy to see that he didn't have any beer, and smiled.

"Hey LSP," she said politely, and she nudged Franky's shoulder. Her best friend rolled her eyes.

"Hello," Franky said curtly, and LSP didn't even give her a second glance. He was clearly still offended from earlier. He took Laura's hand and kissed it, making her giggle. At least he had manners. Franky clearly didn't approve of this actions and her scowl deepened.

"Are you enjoying the party? Isn't it radical?" LSP said excitedly, and Laura nodded her head.

"Yeah...it's great," she lied. She wasn't having fun, just like she knew she wouldn't. She wasn't a party person, but Franky hadn't wanted to study so she came along. She wasn't going to let Franky go anywhere alone, even though she could easily handle herself.

"Fabulous!" LSP exclaimed energetically, and blew her a kiss and winked, "See you later, babe!" He disappeared into the crowd. Franky seemed happy to see him go.

Laura started to move towards the corner, she didn't want to be in the middle of the dance floor, and Franky followed. She suddenly spotted Jack, and Bubba. She nearly laughed at the tortured expression on Jack's face. She should probably go help out. She tapped Franky's shoulder and pointed in the direction of the two boys. Franky smirked and shook her head.

"Poor guy. That Bubba guy can't take a hint," Franky said.

"That's true, I feel bad for him. I'll be right back," Laura said, and then started making her way through the crowd towards the two guys. She shoved past people making out and dancing and sweaty bodies, and broke through the mass of humanity. She walked right up to Bubba and Jack, and wondered what she was even doing as she coughed to interrupt Bubba's rambling.

"Hey," Laura said, and both of them jerked their heads towards her in surprise. Bubba looked mildly annoyed and Jack appeared relieved. She swallowed hard and forced a weak smile.

"Uhm...do you want to dance with me?" she asked, the words tumbling out before she even know she had thought them, and Bubba arched an eyebrow at her bold request. Jack smirked and quickly moved away from the pink haired boy, grabbing her arm.

"I would love to."

* * *

Franky watched Laura go towards Jack and Bubba. She didn't like either one of those boys, particularly Bubba, and she didn't want her friend to be alone with them. But Laura could take care of herself, right?

She scanned the room. People were grinding against each other and she averted her eyes. Everyone was drunk and there was nothing but dancing bodies and flashing lights and ear splitting music. The energy in the room excited her and fueled her with confidence, even though some of it was gross, she was happier here than studying in the dorm.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around to find Bubba smiling at her, taking a swig of his beer. She scowled at him. Laura must've gotten rid of him in order for him to be here bothering her.

"What do you want?" she snapped, and he grinned. He was clearly drunk. Apparently he didn't take rejection well and drowned out his sadness in alcohol. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, and she recoiled. He chuckled.

"I want a little bit of fun," he grinned, and her eyes widened. She was about to kick him where the sun didn't shine when her savior arrived.

Bubba stumbled backwards as he took a rough hit to the jaw, and Franky's mouth dropped open in surprise. She turned her head to see none other than Marshall Lee glaring at the drunken man with his ferocious eyes. He snatched the plastic cup out if his hands and splashed it in his face. Bubba didn't show any sign of anger, he just continued grinning like a crazy happy person.

"Get away from the lady," Marshall growled, and Bubba smirked.

"Alright, you can have her, tiger," Bubba winked and then dissipated into the crowd before she could give him a piece of her mind. Franky turned her rage towards Marshall.

"What was that?" she yelled over the deafening sound of the music. He blinked at her in disbelief.

"I was helping you!" he exclaimed, as if it we obvious.

"I didn't _need_ help!" Franky snapped, and he rolled his eyes. She would've appreciated his help, if it had come from anyone else except for him. She really hated this guy.

"Fine! Next time, I'll let you get sexually assaulted!" Marshall shouted, clearly agitated that she wasn't happy that he had defended her.

"Fine!"

"_Fine_!"

Silence stretched out between them despite the fact that the room was so loud that the house was shaking.

Franky was seriously confused about this boy. He was being nice to her, but also teasing her and making fun of her. What was his problem? Plus, he had stalked her on the roof. She wanted to avoid him as much as possible but she couldn't get him to disappear. She realized that he was staring at her with a smile and she furrowed her eyebrows, and was about to question him when they were interrupted.

"Marshy?" a painfully whiny voice piped up as a tall girl in a skimpy dress slinked up next to him. Marshall frowned in disgust, and Franky frowned at the woman. She was a disgrace to females everywhere. She should've guessed that Marshall had people like her in his company.

"I'm busy right now, Ice Queen," Marshall replied, clearly annoyed, and he smiled at Franky. Ice Queen finally realized that Franky was there. She glared at Franky with her icy blue eyes of steel, but she didn't feel intimidated. She was stronger than this desperate girl, and didn't need a man in her life. She knew she was better than her, and plus, she was better looking. She didn't need revealing clothing to be beautiful.

"Who are _you_ supposed to be?" Ice Queen snapped, trying to get rid of her so she could have Marshall all to herself. Franky rolled her eyes in annoyance. She didn't want to waste her time with these people.

"She's my date," Marshall said suddenly, and Franky's eyes widened. No she was not! What made him think he could say that? Ice Queen seemed just as surprised as her.

"_Seriously_?" she laughed, and glanced down at Franky in distaste. Marshall glared at the white haired woman, extremely defensive, even though he was lying.

"Yes, she is. So leave," Marshall said coldly, and Ice Queen was taken aback. She glared at Franky before storming off, defeated. Franky wasted no time in smacking Marshall Lee across the face.

"Ow! My cheek meat!" he howled in pain, clutching the side of his head.

"I'm _not_ your date!" Franky yelled, stomping her boot onto the sticky, beer spilt dance floor.

"I know that..." Marshall looked away, a strange expression on his face. Almost as if he wanted it to be true. She knew she had to be imagining it. Franky was beyond angry. She wanted to leave this party as soon as possible. She stomped off in the direction of her roommate. She was going to find her best friend and get out of here. She had enough of crazy people for one day.

Franky stopped suddenly when she saw Laura and Jack dancing together.

They were actually dancing, instead of grinding against each other sexually like most of the other people were doing. Granted, everyone else was drunk. His arms were wrapped around her waist and her hands were resting on his neck and they were smiling, swaying side to side in the music. She saw their mouths moving, talking and smiling and laughing. She had never seen her best friend be so at ease with a guy before. It made her happy to watch.

Someone grabbed her hand and spun her around. She found herself gazing into Marshall Lee's deep amber pools, and he rested his hands on her hips comfortably. She glared at him.

"What do you think you're _doing_?" Franky inquired incredulously, and he smirked playfully.

"Dancing," he answered, and they started swaying side to side like they had watched their friends do. She tensed up immediately, she didn't like being touched. Even though he was being gentle, and she didn't think he would try to make a move on her. A few seconds later she realized that she was moving along with him. Was she actually going to do this? Was she actually going to dance with him? This man who she didn't know and didn't trust? But his eyes...his smile...his mystery...he was so dangerous. Luckily, she was dangerous as well.

The music faded in the background and she found herself wrapped up in the moment, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Marshall smiled.

Franky was just about to relax her stiff muscles and enjoy herself when the screams rang out in the air. The music stopped, and one shriek was higher than the others.

"She's dead! She's dead!" a voice screeched, making everyone go into a chaotic frenzy.

"_Murder_!"

* * *

His hands were cold.

Shivers rolled down Laura's spine when Jack's palms came in contact with her waist, and they swayed back and forth. Everything around them vanished, the people, the smell, and the music. There was nothing else. The colorful flashing lights reflected in his twinkling eyes and Laura nearly forgot how to breathe.

She was probably just exaggerating and getting wrapped up in the moment but...glob, she had never felt like this before.

Laura couldn't avert her eyes from him. At least until the girl in the pink dress stumbled towards her. She turned her head, mildly annoyed that they had been interrupted, and then gasped when she saw the foam dribbling from her mouth. The girl gripped her bicep, her amber eyes wide with terror.

"H-help..." she gurgled, bubbles drooling down her chin, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Jack yanked Laura away from the girl and her body hit the floor with a loud thud. The people around them had stopped dancing and noticed the fallen body. Laura crouched down next to her, despite Jack's protests, and checked her pulse.

The girl's hands were colder than Jack's. She was cold as a corpse.

"Oh my _glob_..." she breathed, backing away.

"What is it?" Jack questioned.

"She...she's..." she couldn't force the words out, "she's _dead_."

A few people around them heard her and their eyes widened in horror. Apparently, not everyone was as intoxicated as they thought. One girl screamed at the top of her lungs, and a few others cried out once they realized what had happened. The music cut off instantly. Jack grabbed Laura and pulled her back from the body, hugging her back to his chest. She couldn't stop staring...that girl was dead...

Police sirens rang out through the air, and that was when the real panic began. People were scared of being murdered and of getting caught doing underage drinking. People started moving and screaming continued and she pressed herself tighter against Jack, worried about getting swept away in the current of people.

Laura wasn't sure which was worse, the smell of alcohol or the stench of fear.

* * *

Franky's heart beat sped up instantly when she realized the situation. Someone was dead, possibly murdered, and she could hear sirens in the distance. The police would be here any second. They needed to get out of here right away.

Franky's first thought was to get to Laura. She shoved her way through the panicking people in a beeline towards her best friend, almost getting trampled along the way. To her surprise, Marshall kept a steady grip on her elbow and helped her weave her way through the crowd. She didn't understand why he didn't just ditch her to save his own skin, but then again, he needed to find his own roommate too.

"_Laura_!" she shouted, cupping her hands over her mouth, trying to be hear over the screaming crowd.

"_Franky_! Over here!" a voice replied, and in a minute her best friend and Jack were standing across from them.

"We need to get out of here!" Marshall yelled, and all of them nodded. For once, Franky agreed with him. She grabbed onto Laura's arm while the raven haired boy still had a hold on her, and her best friend was clutching Jack. All four of them made a human chain, and Marshall led them through the mob towards the exit.

People were screaming, jumping over fallen bodies who had been trampled, and slipping on split beer. Franky was light enough on her feet to avoid all that. She had taken years of defense classes and karate to know how to handle something as crazy as this. She managed to avoid being crushed by everyone else, and helped Laura up when she slipped on the sticky liquid.

They rushed out onto the front lawn of the fraternity house just as the police pulled up. There were several cars, more that there would've been if reported underage drinking was happening. They had to know about the murder. Several officers got out and started chasing after the escaping teenagers.

Adrenaline coursed heavily through her veins and she had never felt a stronger urge to flee.

"Come on!" Franky yelled and started dragging them in the direction of her car. They ran faster than most people and got some decent distance from the cops. She threw open the door and hopped into the driver's seat, Marshall sliding into shotgun. Franky would've yelled at him for getting into her car uninvited and stealing her best friend's seat, but she would have to save that for later. As soon as Jack and Laura closed their doors, she slammed her foot onto the gas and they sped off into the night, sirens echoing behind them.

* * *

"Holy glob woman, _slow down_!" Marshall yelled, almost flying out of his seat. He would've hit the window if he didn't have a seatbelt. He pivoted his head towards Franky, who was driving like a complete psychopath. She ran several red lights and was way over the speed limit, it was a miracle she hadn't attracted the attention of the cops. The only reason why they hadn't been pulled over was probably because they had to be focusing on the party they had just left.

Franky made a sharp right turn and the sound of tires skidding hurt his ears. He glared at her.

"You're going to _kill_ us!" he shouted.

"_Shut up,_ I'm trying to drive!" Franky snapped.

"_Drive_? Or get us _killed_?" he retorted, but she didn't respond. He noticed that she slowed down by ten miles per hour. At least she slowed down a little bit.

Marshall looked in the mirror at the backseat. Jack seemed to enjoy how fast they were going. He had always been a lunatic, he liked speeding. Luckily, the idiot didn't know how to drive. Otherwise his best friend would've crashed him into a ditch a thousand times. Franky's friend-what was her name again? Oh, right, Laura. She was hanging onto her seatbelt for dear life. Her eyes were wide and she kept muttering something underneath her breath. Jack started to notice and frowned at her.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked worriedly, and the girl shook her head.

"She's dead...that girl..." she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Including Franky. The driver braked immediately, and he hit his head on the windshield. He started cursing loudly, but he knew he wasn't hurt badly. He lifted his head back up and saw that they were in the parking lot of the dorms. Franky spun around and stared at her friend.

"What do you mean? Did you see the person who died?" Franky asked incredulously. Her best friend nodded.

"She died...right there...I couldn't do anything..." she mumbled. Marshall went to medical school a long time ago, he could barely remember it, but he could tell that the girl was just in shock. Minor, though.

"She died _right in front of you_?!" Franky shouted, as if she were mad. Angry with herself for keeping her friend from seeing something like that and mad at the dead girl for having the audacity to die in front of her roommate.

Jack spoke up, "She just dropped dead...I don't know why."

Franky glared daggers at him.

"_You_ were there too?!" her voice was fiery enough to melt the poor guy.

"What happened?" Marshall questioned, a little curious about why the random girl had died. Everyone was screaming about it being murder...but if she just dropped dead, how could that be the case?

"_Shut up_!" Franky yelled, stunning everyone into silence. She glared at the two boys, "Get out of my car, _now_!"

Marshall didn't hesitate and neither did Jack.

Franky slammed the doors and locked it up, grabbing her best friend by the elbow and pulling her inside. Despite how angry and hostile Franky seemed, he could tell that she was just worried about her friend. They both disappeared inside the dorm building. He glanced at his watch, and discovered that it was three o'clock in the morning. Waking up in the morning to go to classes was going to be painful.

"Well, that was fun," Jack said sarcastically as they began walking inside the dorm building. He began imitating Marshall's voice, "_Nothing_ is going to go _wrong_, oh _no_. We're going to have a _splendid_ time, and not watch people _die_ or run from the _cops_!"

Marshall punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, I know you enjoyed it," he replied.

"I didn't!"

"You liked dancing with that girl though," Marshall pointed out, smirking.

They both ended up punching each other's shoulders until they got up to the dorm room after that.

* * *

Franky led her best friend up several flights of stairs and sat her down on the couch, sitting across from her.

"Now, tell me everything that happened," she demanded, and her roommate obliged.

Franky listened patiently as her best friend informed her of how the girl in the pink dress had walked up to them, tugging on her arm and asking for help. She grimaced at the description of the foam in her mouth and how she dropped to the floor, lacking a pulse.

"I didn't know what to do...I couldn't help her..." Laura said, staring at her hands.

"Hey, this isn't your fault," Franky assured her best friend sternly, "She probably died from alcohol poisoning or something. There was nothing you could do, don't bear yourself up about it."

Franky didn't want her friend to feel guilty or blame herself for what happened. If a crazy scary girl with foam in her mouth approached her, she probably would've punched her in the face and ran. She wouldn't be worrying about what she could've done to help her. She was a survivor. She cared about her friends more than anything else in the world, but had less compassion for total strangers.

"I guess you're right..." Laura sighed, nodding her head, and smiled up at her best friend, "I'm sorry...I was just really freaked out."

"It's okay, I would be too," Franky assured her. It was disturbing, watching someone die right in front of you, even if it was a total stranger. She felt bad for the dead girl and her family. Did her friends know? Did they cry, scream, sob? Franky knew if something like that happened to her family or her best friend, she wouldn't be able to take it. She was thankful that it wasn't her roommate who had died.

"Thanks, sis," Laura said, and they hugged. Even though they weren't bold related or marriage related, they were close enough to be twins and called each other sisters.

Franky saw the clock and her eyes popped out of her head. It was past three o'clock in the morning! They had to start classes in a few hours.

"Oh _glob_...it's so late..." Franky groaned and face palmed. She would be exhausted tomorrow.

"We need to go to sleep!" Laura exclaimed, looking extremely worried. She was super stressed out about her classes, Franky could tell, even more concerned about it than witnessing a death. They both jumped up and then turned off the lights, rushing to their beds. She had expected that falling asleep would be difficult because of the wild night they just had, but she dozed off immediately.

Franky didn't see the concerned face at her window, watching her peacefully fall asleep.

* * *

**Edited:** _November 26th, 2014_


	4. First Day

**WARNING:** _mild profanity, mentions of alcohol, sensual intentions, and death._

* * *

**CHAPTER 6:**

Franky felt as if the alarm had gone off the moment she shut her eyes. She groaned loudly. Why had she signed up for morning classes? She pressed the snooze button three times before groggily rolling out of bed. She glanced at the clock, and realized it was already seven. Her first class started at eight. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep.

Franky crossed the room and noticed that Laura was still sound asleep, snoring. Her first class started at eight o'clock as well. She began shaking her roommate's shoulder.

"Laura...wake up..." she said, but her friend didn't budge. Franky glanced at the clock. At this rate, they wouldn't even have time for breakfast. She decided to take drastic measures. She grabbed her guitar and plugged it into the speakers, turning it up full blast, and strummed.

"Holy glob! Turn it off!" Laura shouted, jolting up in her bed. Franky smirked in satisfaction, glad that her plan had worked, and unplugged her guitar.

"C'mon, you need to wake up," Franky said, getting dressed behind the wall had divided their room into two. The barrier did nothing to block her bed friend's obnoxious groans.

"Why? I'm tired..." Laura complained and she rolled her eyes.

"Because classes start in an hour," she replied, and there was a loud thud as her roommate fell out of bed. Her drawers slammed and Franky couldn't help but smirk slightly. Her best friend out school above everything even sleep. She could hear the girl cursing underneath her breath.

"Oh glob...I knew we should've never gone to that party!" Laura stated, even though they couldn't change it now. Franky knew that they should've studied more, but she had been so bored with textbooks...the party sounded inviting. How was she supposed to know that someone was going to die?

Franky shook her head and returned her attention to getting ready. First impressions were important. She wanted her peers to know not to mess with her. She wore black combat boots, dark purple pants that almost looked black, and a red checkered shirt. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore minimal make up. She was confident enough not to need it. She grabbed her book-bag and waited by the door for her roommate to finish getting ready.

Laura was wearing blue sneakers, a navy blue pencil skirt, and a button down turquoise plaid t-shirt. She was a cross between nerdy and professional, while Franky was punk rock minus all of the emo. They were so different but still the same.

The two girls rushed out of the dorm building, thankfully without running into their RA or anyone else, and decided that they wouldn't have time for breakfast. Shame. She decided that she would never go to another party again.

They soon separated and went into different buildings for their first classes. Luckily, they weren't going to be late. Franky walked upstairs and entered the music classroom. She was taking a composing class so she could learn how to write songs. The professor wasn't in the room yet, but all of the seats were taken.

Except one.

Franky frowned and sat down in the desk next to Marshall Lee's and tried her best to ignore his smirk and glowing, reddish brown eyes.

She hated school.

* * *

Marshall Lee managed to scare away anyone who dared to sit next to him, including the flirty girls who he knew could be stubborn sometimes. He was the only one in the rather large classroom to have a pair of desks to himself.

Then Franky walked in, about three minutes before the bell, and a smile curved around his lips. His eyes widened slightly as well, she looked pretty good. He could tell that she wasn't wearing any makeup, years of experience with girls allowed him to know such things, and it was nearly impossible to tell. He face looked perfect. Her clothes were pretty badass too. He suspected that she had gotten ready in a rush, considering her near tardiness to class, but she looked amazing.

Franky met his eyes and scowled. It was a shame that she despised him so much, if she wasn't so evil he might be able to get to know her better. She seemed much more decent that the type of girls who swooned over him.

But Marshall wasn't one to be discouraged. He smirked as she came over and gestured to his steel-toed boots, which were crossed over the empty seat beside him.

"I need to sit there," Franky stated, her arms crossed over her chest.

"It's already occupied," he informed her with a grin.

"Move it, Marshmallow. Now," Franky commanded with a glare, and a brilliant idea popped into his head.

"Now, now, sweetykins, that's not very polite. What's the magic word?" Marshall asked, and her scowl could chew through steel.

"Please. Let me sit there," Franky said finally, sounding as if each word pained her. The only reason she complied to his request was because the professor was entering the classroom and she didn't want to get in trouble on the first day.

"Alrighty then," Marshall smirked teasingly and removed his feet. Franky slid in the seat smoothly just as the professor arrived. Perfect timing.

The rest of the class wasn't that particularly interesting to him. He had gone to college a dozen times before. But when the professor started giving instructions for a partner project near the end, he finally started to tune in to the discussion.

"...there will be an assignment that you and a partner will complete by the end of the term. Your partners have already been chosen. You will work with the student sitting next to you-"

Marshall felt a smirk curl onto his lips, and he heard Franky's breath catch in her throat. He ignored the rest of the instructions and stared at her intently, his grin growing every second that she refused to meet his eyes. Eventually, the professor dismissed class and everyone began to pack up. Franky slung her bag over her shoulder and rushed towards the door, not even glancing towards him. He hurried after her and caught up to her in the hallway.

"Hey, partner," he said amicably, and he could see her scowl even though she didn't look at him.

"Shut up," Franky growled, and he chuckled.

"That's not the right way to treat your partner, Frankfurter," he teased, and this time she did look at him. The ferocious gleam in her eyes almost made him regret his joking around. Almost. The vampire king wasn't afraid of anything.

"What did you just call me?" she asked sharply, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh...I don't know," he wore a false, innocent smirk.

"Don't test me, Marshmallow," Franky threatened, but he wasn't intimidated at all. He was more amused by the fact that she had made fun of him.

Progress!

* * *

Franky was followed by the raven haired boy all the way to science class. She tried her best to avoid conversation with Marshall, and only spoke to him when she was telling him to shut up. He was really annoying and she was currently pissed off because she was forced to compose something with him. Why did she have to work with him? Of all people! The universe hated her.

But at least Laura was in the same science class as her. She sat down at the lab bench next to her best friend before Marshall could enter the room. Apparently he and his roommate were in the same class too.

_Great_.

Franky frowned the entire time she was digging through her bag, pulling out her textbook and binder. Laura seemed to notice her sour mood.

"What happened?" she inquired, but the brunette didn't respond. "You know that Jack and Marshall are in this class, right?"

Franky nodded her head and glared at the blackboard.

"And that they're sitting right behind is?"

She rolled her eyes. Boys were so annoying. It was probably Marshall's doing, the creep.

"Franky...they're staring..." Laura warned.

"Just ignore them. Don't look behind you," Franky instructed just as the professor came in. The lesson quickly started and Franky was too busy trying to keep up to be angry at Marshall. They were going to start an experiment about weather for the first week of school. Jack had cheered obnoxiously at the mention of snow. He was almost as odd as his roommate.

The professor chose the partners, and thankfully Franky wasn't with Marshall. He was stuck with Ice Queen, and he didn't look as excited about it as the white haired girl did. Laura and Jack were paired together, which Franky wasn't enthusiastic about, but they seemed happy enough. But worst of all, Franky was stuck with the only person just as bad as Marshall.

Gumball.

Everyone switched seats and she hopped up onto the stool next to him, sitting as far away as possible. He looked awful, with bags underneath his eyes from an earlier morning hangover. But he wasn't hung-over anymore, and his onyx colored eyes were shining when he smiled at her.

"You bloody little bastard," Franky growled, and he frowned slightly. It looked almost real.

"I'm sorry about last night, Ms. Lashway, I really am. I was too intoxicated to realize what I was doing...I apologize..." he said genuinely, and she rolled her eyes.

"You must've been drunk off your ass to want me. I thought you were gay?" Franky said bluntly, but he was unaffected.

"I'm bisexual," he corrected, "And I think I just wanted to dance, from the foggy images I remember."

Franky rolled her eyes and was about to snap at him about his drunken, sexual intentions when two men in uniform entered the room. The professor halted her speech, clearly annoyed but also a little startled. Franky's eyes widened, why would there be cops here?

The officers crossed the room and stopped in front of Laura and Jack's bench. She could practically sense her best friend's panic from over here. Their expressions were grim.

"You two are going to have to come with us," one of the officers spoke. Franky's heart beat rapidly and she jumped out of her seat.

She sure as hell wasn't going to let that happen.

* * *

Everyone turned to glance at Franky as she jumped out of her seat. She didn't care. She started marching over towards her friend when a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. She spun around and found Marshall Lee, of course.

"You better watch it, otherwise you're going to get arrested," he advised, and she scowled ferociously at him, shoving him away.

"I know what I'm doing," Franky snapped, heading over towards the officers. Marshall followed quickly behind. She stopped by Laura and Jack's lab table and the policemen actually noticed her.

"What do you want with them?" Franky questioned, rather bluntly, and one of the men frowned. Laura gave her a pointed look, warning her not to get herself into trouble. Too late for that.

"Questioning," one of the officers replied, and Franky's eyes narrowed.

"About what?" she inquired. Her rudeness was bound to get her in trouble, but she wasn't about to allow her friend get taken by the police.

"The party," Laura answered hastily before Franky could agitate the officers. She put her hands on her hips.

"Well, we both attended that party last night too," Franky answered, pointing a thumb towards Marshall, who was standing behind her, "so you might as well question as well."

Laura's widened eyes fit perfectly into the puzzle of her alarmed face as the two officers shrugged to each other before escorting the four of them out of the room. Franky completely disregarded the stares and glares coming from nearly every student.

"I thought you said you knew what you were doing!" Marshall hissed to her underneath his breath, his words brushing against her ear.

"I do know what I'm doing," Franky snapped back, her chocolate irises narrowing, "I'm helping my best friend not get arrested."

"And...How is this helping anyone?" Marshall asked, and she shoved him in the shoulder. She didn't have a plan yet, but she just knew that she wasn't going to let her roommate get interrogated all alone.

"Just shut up, _Marshmallow_," Franky growled, and he chuckled.

"Alright, _Frankfurter_, whatever you say."

* * *

Jack had been arrested before, not nearly as many times as Marshall Lee, but it had happened. Half of the time he was released, and when he wasn't...Marshall got him out. He wasn't too concerned about being summoned for questioning, he had been one of the two people seen standing next to a dying girl. He felt a twinge of pity for the woman who had passed away, her family was probably still on shock. They were most likely denying what had happened, refusing to accept the fact that one of their loved ones was deceased. Jack knew all of these things from personal experience.

His attention was returned to the present when the officers stopped to tell Marshall and Franky to stay in the lobby. Both teenagers began to protest, insisting that they accompany their best friends during their interrogation. Jack was sure both of the teenagers were going to get in huge trouble for arguing so much, but then Laura spoke up and assured them that everything was going to be fine. Franky raised her voice but Laura calmed her down successfully, just enough to tame her wild fire. Jack glanced at Marshall and met his eyes, and shrugged slightly to show that it was no big deal. They had been in this situation before, unlike the two girls. Marshall gave a quick nod of comprehension, and helped Franky's roommate ease her into a plush chair in the lobby to wait.

One of the officers cleared his throat loudly and gestured for the two of them to walk in front. Jack noticed Laura resembled a deer caught in the headlights, so he immediately stepped in front and started walking casually down the hall. She seemed to catch some of his confidence and matched his stride, but her pale complexion gave her fears away.

The four of them stopped at a door and the policemen told them to sit inside and that someone would come to question them soon. Jack did all of the talking while Laura simply nodded, and with a loud thud the door closed. The brunette girl slumped into a seat and sighed deeply. He felt bad for her and sat in the seat next to her, he didn't know what to say. Something encouraging. He wasn't very good at being encouraging.

"Hey, look, you didn't kill that girl so you don't have anything to worry about," Jack stated, rather bluntly, but sometimes frankness was needed in these types of situations.

"Yeah, but they don't know that," Laura contradicted as she continued to gaze at the door while anxiously playing with the hem of her shirt. Jack reached out and took her hand, pulling it away from her blouse and squeezing it tightly. To his surprise, she squeezed back. Laura lifted her head up and glanced at him with terrified, doe eyes.

Jack smiled reassuringly, "It's going to be fine."

She nodded slowly and eventually relaxed a bit. She seemed to have calmed down entirely, but then suddenly the door swung open and a very intimidating woman entered the room. Laura swallowed. So much for tranquility. Jack watched as the woman with black hair in a tight bun swiftly seated herself behind the desk in front of them. She sized each of them up, and her eyes lingered on their intertwined fingers. Jack didn't care. The girl next to him was on the verge of having a panic attack, so naturally he was going to strive to prevent that. Finally the dark-haired woman completed her analysis and leaned forward onto the desk, hands clasped and smile on.

"Good morning," her kindness sounded genuine, but Jack knew it wasn't. She was a professional, but he had plenty of experience observing human behavior. She was as fake as a manikin.

"I apologize for the inconvenient interruption of your classes, but once we're done here you'll be allowed to return them," she continued the formalities, and Laura simply nodded. Jack supposed he should nod as well.

"Good," she pushed her glasses up, "Let's proceed. I'll assume that you have no idea why you were summoned here for questioning. The reason is that several campus students reported that you two were the last people seen with Kaylee Summers, a girl who died at a party last night."

Jack noticed Laura's shoulders tense. He remembered the first person he had seen die, the first of many, and knew how haunting it could be.

"Were you both at this party last night?"

They nodded.

"Care to tell me why you were the last people seen with this girl?"

Jack opened his mouth to answer the woman's question, but Laura beat him to the punch.

"I'll tell you everything that I know, okay?" she said, sounding surprisingly confident considering her pale complexion.

"Go ahead," the interrogator gestured for her to continue, and she took a deep breath. Jack felt a tug on his fingers, and Laura began her story.

"I was invited to the back to school party by LSP, the frat leader of Lumpy Space, yesterday evening so my roommate and I both went. We were separated when I went to go talk to Jack to scare away people who were flirting with him. We just talked for a long time and then we were dancing. We danced for a while and then..."

Laura paused for a moment and he tugged on her fingers, smiling at her reassuringly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and swallowed hard. The dark haired woman leaned forward onto her elbows and raised her eyebrows.

"And?" she prompted.

"And this girl came up and grabbed my shoulder. I turned around and she was...begging for me to help her..." as Jack watched the story unfold, he noticed that tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Laura was gripping onto his arm as firmly as possibly.

"Some disturbing white foam came out of her mouth...her eyes rolled into the back of her h-head and...and..." she wasn't capable of completing her sentence and pulled her hand away from his, using it to cover her mouth. The interrogator's face didn't soften in the slightest, which aggravated Jack. She couldn't be the slightest bit more compassionate?

"I see..." the woman leaned back in her chair and marked something onto her paper.

"I think it was alcohol poisoning," Jack butted in, trying to divert the attention away from the girl sitting next to him who could barely contain herself. The questioner narrowed her eyes at him.

"Then you would be wrong, Mr. Frost," she snapped.

"How would you know? Everyone at that party was hammered. I doubt she wasn't drunk," Jack knew he was being harsh but it was the truth. Laura flinched at every word but she didn't say anything to stop him.

"Did you consume any alcohol last night?"

Of course he didn't. Bad things happened when he was drunk, memories resurfaced...he hadn't touched beer in centuries. Plus, the liquid was foul anyways.

"No," he answered honestly, and the woman smirked having proven her point. He knew she was going to test them both for alcohol and drugs after this was over, if it was ever over.

"Do you know what happened to her then?" Laura suddenly interrupted, and both of them turned to stare at her.

"You said you knew it wasn't alcohol positioning...so did you know what it was?" she clarified. Jack didn't know what else could've happened to the girl.

Unless...someone killed her.

* * *

Marshall knew that he was an incredibly impatient person, but his restlessness was nothing compared to Franky's. She wouldn't sit still for a single second; she constantly paced the room, chewing her fingernails and tapping her feet. She glanced at the clock every few seconds, and he followed her eyes. Only ten minutes had passed. How long would they be forced to endure this? Of course he was worried about Jack and wanted to get both of them out of here as soon as possible, but mostly he just wanted to get away from Franky. Her anxious actions were aggravating him.

"Could you just sit still for a second?" Marshall complained, and she halted mid-stride to turn and face him.

"My best friend is being questioned about a dead person, and you expect me to be still?" Franky snapped angrily, but he wasn't intimated by her. He shrugged and reclined into his chair.

"There's nothing to worry about. They're both going to be fine," he reassured her. Marshall was confident that everything would turn out alright. Law enforcement would soon figure out that they had nothing to do with the death of that girl, and it would all be over. He didn't understand why Franky was panicking.

"I hope so..." she sighed and glanced at the clock again, before slumping into a seat next to him. She pressed the back of her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Marshall felt slightly empathetic towards the girl and he took out his earbuds, sticking one in her ear before she could protest. Franky's eyes flew open and she shot him a surprised glance, but then a smile curved at the corners of her cherry red lips.

"Black Veil Brides," she nodded in appreciation, "They're my favorite."

Marshall grinned, "I'm trying to explore modern music...so far they're the only band I can listen to without my ears bleeding."

Franky almost laughed, and he could tell that his attempt to calm her down was successful. In his opinion, she was much more enjoyable when she wasn't cranky. He copied her sitting position and closed his eyes, drowning himself in the music.

For the first time in a long while, Marshall Lee rested in peace.

* * *

Laura was having difficulty keeping herself together. The questioning was over and they were allowed to go free, but she was completely messed up. She couldn't stop thinking about the girl who had died at her feet. She had a name now, which only made her more real. Kaylee Summers. Laura couldn't get her out of her head. She marched down the hall, clenching and uncurling her fists, trying to ignore the fact that Jack was staring at her like she was about to explode.

Laura's boots were clicking against the tiles.

_Tap, tap, tap..._

How was Kaylee's family doing? How did they feel? Did she have a boyfriend?

_Tap, tap, tap..._

Her friends? They had lost her. She was gone forever.

_Tap, tap, tap..._

Kaylee had begged for help, but she had received none. Laura hadn't been able to help her. She had just, stood there.

_Tap, tap..._

She visualized her blank, dead eyes and detonated.

Laura leaned up against the wall and scrunched her eyes shut, trying to block out everything. Tears streamed down her face and she tried not to make a sound. She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and speak her name, but she shut them out. She needed a moment, a single moment, to let it out. She had strived to contain herself ever since last night and had done a decent job, but she couldn't do it any much longer. The hand on her shoulder started squeezing, bringing her into the present.

"Laura? Are you okay?" it was Jack, and she opened her eyes to meet his. He looked concerned, as if she were having a breakdown. Was she?

"Yeah...I'm fine..." she tried swallowing it down. She had a second. That's all she needed. She wiped her wet eyes and smiled, "It's just that...I just needed..."

Laura went silent as he wrapped his arms around her, and her eyes sealed shut again. She allowed a few more tears to slip out and her shoulders to tremble. Apparently she needed another moment to release her feelings.

Apparently she needed a hug, too.

Their embrace ended and she felt loads better. She would be able to live through this. She wasn't the one who lost Kaylee, she was just the one who was there when she passed.

"Thanks," she smiled at Jack.

"No problem," he returned the gesture.

They walked down the hall while she wondered why her skin was cold and her heart so warm.

* * *

Franky was sure that they had listened to a million minutes of rock music before Laura and Jack finally returned from interrogation. She jumped up from her chair and rushed over to her friend.

"Laura! Are you okay? What happened? Did they hurt you?" Franky questioned while grasping her roommate's shoulders, checking her for injuries.

"I'm fine!" Laura insisted, pulling away, but Franky wasn't convinced. She could tell by the expression on her face that something was wrong. What had happened during the interrogation? She averted her attention from her friend for a moment to glance at Jack, who was staring into space. Marshall seemed to have noticed him as well.

"What is it?" Marshall inquired, his voice oddly serious. Franky wasn't sure if she had ever hear him sound so down to earth.

"That girl was murdered," he declared, and her blood ran cold. If she was murdered, it would have to be someone from the party.

It would have to be someone who went to the same school as them, someone who could possibly walk among them every day.

Franky shivered at the possibility.

* * *

**Edited:** _November 26th, 2014_


End file.
